John’s Journal: A Wrestling Dream At Minneapolis North

 

When Minnesota high school wrestling fans think of current dominant programs, Minneapolis North isn’t on anyone’s list. A young first-year head coach is working to change that.  

North certainly has a solid wrestling history … just not much recent history. Richard Chakolis, who coached the Polars from 1969 to 1996, had a record of 263-145-2; the only other North wrestling coach who had more wins than losses came in the 1940s and 1950s, when Ted Lange’s record was 42-20. Since the 2000-01 season North has a cumulative dual record of 24 wins and 287 losses.

The last North wrestler to advance to the state tournament was Kenyan Porter in 2018. Previous to that, Carlton Littlejohn went to state in 2008 and 2009, Ronald Buck did so in 2006 and 2007, and Thomas Ray got there in 2003. The last Polars to finish on the podium at state were second-place finishers Evan Blanks in 1998 and Darnell Green in 1997. Eight others have placed from third to sixth at state since 1971. North has never had an individual or team state championship.

As waiting continues before the delayed 2020-21 winter season begins, new head coach Malique Trumbo is anxious to get started. He is the 10^th head coach in school history since North’s first wrestling team in 1946-47.

“I’m an advocate of wrestling, how it builds people, but I’m more an advocate of inner-city wrestling,” said Trumbo, 24, who was hired in late October. “There are so many talented kids in the Minneapolis community.” 

That talent has been apparent on the prestigious North football and basketball teams for years, and Trumbo wants to take the wrestling program to a similar level. Last year’s team finished with a roster in the low single digits, and more than 20 kids have registered for this season. That’s a strong start.

“I am very passionate about building inner-city wrestling and providing youth the opportunity to participate in wrestling, do well and help kids achieve their dreams,” said Trumbo, who wrestled at Bloomington Jefferson and York College in Nebraska.

“My goal is to help kids become successful human beings. I want to help break family generations of kids not going to school and kids falling into the streets and getting in trouble with the law and not being successful in school and life. I want to change that.”

One of his first steps was initiating a Go Fund Me campaign to raise donations for the wrestling program as well as a new non-profit Polar Wrestling Club, with a goal of providing year-round wrestling activities. (Link:  https://www.gofundme.com/f/supporting-north-minneapolis-wrestling )

The goal is to raise $2,5000. Included in that amount is $1,400 needed to provide the team with warmups, $400 for headgear and $200 for food on the day of meets.

Trumbo, who wrestled and played football in high school, always knew he wanted to be a head coach under the right conditions.

“I just wanted to be a head coach,” he said. “I didn’t want to take over someone’s program and someone’s culture. I wanted to start fresh and build something, build a program, a culture and a tradition.

“My biggest coaching style is loving the kids. I feel if you love the kids, everything else will fall into place. Unconditional love, that’s important to me.”

He has put together an eclectic coaching staff that includes Minnesota state representative Raymond Dehn, former Concordia University-St. Paul football captain Andrew Capirchio, law-enforcement professional Ryan Rosevelt, and 1989 North grad and previous assistant coach Norman Alston.

Jay Grady, a senior captain who is preparing for his fourth season on the team, said the previous largest roster consisted of around 10 wrestlers.

“I’m very excited,” he said. “I can’t wait for the year to start. This is by far the biggest.”

Another senior captain, Jamario Roberson, is a football player who is wrestling for the first time since middle school.

“I felt like it’s a good program to go into and help the program grow,” he said. “I want to finish out with a bang and do as many sports as I can.”

Of Trumbo, Jamario said, “He’s a good coach. I think he can take this program pretty far and have it turn out like football and basketball.” 

That’s one of the goals: bring the Polars program to a high level.

“Give us a few years to build the culture,” Trumbo said. “That’s why I’m at North. 

“The goal is to change the persona of what Minneapolis North wrestling is all about, to bring that dominance back to Minneapolis and to North in particular. The wins and everything else will come naturally from that dedication to be better versions of themselves.”

Right now, the Polars are waiting for the Covid-19 sports shutdown to be lifted by Gov. Tim Walz. When that happens, they will be ready to go.

“Once we’re given the green light, we know what the guidelines will be and we’ll be ready on day one,” Trumbo said. “We have practice plans set up. As soon as that light turns green, we’ll be ready.

“The number one goal is to have a season of some type. I don’t care if it’s five or six weeks, I don’t care if there’s a postseason. One of the biggest goals to take away from this year is retention. We want to build off this year. We should have 20 guys back next year and if they each bring one more guy, we’ll have 40. The goal is to change the persona of what Minneapolis North wrestling is all about, to bring that dominance back to Minneapolis and to North in particular.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

John’s Journal: Remembering Jimmy Robinson

 

For three decades, there was a behind-the-scenes routine after nearly every girls and boys basketball state tournament game. It involved officials, who were visited in their locker room after the contests. When the officials exited, they were often met by officiating colleagues who almost always posed the same question, “What did Jimmy say?”

Jimmy was Jim Robinson, who was the MSHSL’s state coordinator of basketball officials since 1991. He died recently at age 88, serving in his position with the MSHSL until the end. Jim was a history-maker, a barrier-breaker, a giver and a soft-spoken advocate for basketball and officials in every corner of Minnesota.

“He was that icon. I don’t know of anybody who had more of an influence on basketball officials in Minnesota than Jimmy,” said Jim Weinzierl of Park Rapids, veteran official and a regional coordinator of basketball officials.

“The guy lived in the gym. He was in a gym three or four nights a week to watch referees and kids. You’d ask Jimmy about an official, ‘Do you know this guy?’ And he had an immediate answer for very official, hundreds of them. He knew them all.”

That was Jimmy’s job, and he took it seriously. He watched games from the start of each season through the state championship games, jotting down notes as he watched officials, consulting with them after games, and making friends everywhere he went.

It seemed like everybody knew Jimmy. Former Apple Valley star and current NBA veteran Tyus Jones Tweeted after learning of Robinson’s death, “RIP Mr. Robinson. Since I was an 8th grader we would have great conversations every time we were in the gym together. Supported me from day 1 and I never took that for granted. You will be missed! MN Legend.”

Jimmy was a 1951 graduate of Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul, graduating in three years instead of four and inducted into the National Honor Society. Although initially discouraged about attending college by a high school counselor, he attended the University of Minnesota, Metropolitan State University and Bethel College. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Youth Studies along with a related master’s degree.

He contributed to the community and its youth in many ways in St. Paul and beyond. Since 1967, Jimmy served as executive director of operations and development at Summit University Teen Center, also known as The Loft. He worked with kids, families and groups to deal with issues of upbringing, athletics and recreation, education, employment and occupational opportunities, neighborhood justice, housing, social services and social justice, juvenile crime, and the court and justice system.

Jim was a leader from an early age. He was the first African-American named the city’s student school patrol leader. As a teenage he was voted mayor of the American Legion Boys State program, the highest honor awarded at the youth training summit.

He was in high school when he began working as a sports official, working youth games at Hallie Q. Brown Center in St. Paul. Within a few years of graduating from high school, Jimmy was officiating basketball and football games in the Twin Cities and around the state. Focusing on basketball, he began working college games and in 1971 became the first African-American to officiate the MSHSL boys state tournament. He went on to officiate at six other boys state tournaments, and since 1971 every state tournament has included African-American officials.

In 1971 he also was selected as a Big Ten basketball official, becoming one of the first African-Americans to work Division I games. His officiating career was derailed by a knee injury after 16 years in the Big Ten but he continued to contribute as an evaluator of officials for the conference.

For nearly 30 years Robinson contributed mightily to high school basketball in Minnesota, working as the MSHSL’s coordinator and supervisor of officials. In addition, he served on the MSHSL board of directors and was inducted into the MSHSL Hall of Fame in 1993 as well as the Minnesota High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. He received the NCAA’s Living Legacy Award during the Final Four in Minneapolis in 2019.

Carl Britt, a retired official now living in Las Vegas, joined other veteran Minnesota officials on a Zoom call after learning of Robinson’s death. “I got very teary-eyed,” he said.

“To talk about Jimmy is like talking about not just a mentor but a dad,” Britt said. “Jimmy expected all of us to act in a way that you would be respected in the community. He told me, ‘You never know who sees you. Once you get out, you may not know people in a restaurant but I guarantee you people will know you and how you carry yourself.’ ”

Jimmy understood that officiating meant more than what happens during games. He was a stickler for not only rules but also mechanics, and stressed those things when he met with officials, whether it was at a clinic or after a game.

M.J. Wagenson of Pine Island, who in 2016 became the first female official at the boys state basketball tournament, talked about how Robinson and Dewey Mettler of Mankato, a now-retired officiating coordinator, worked with officials.

“Dewey and Jimmy, their word was gospel,” she said. “If they told you to stand on the X, you stood on the X. They were the epitome of rules and mechanics, they were the guys.”

Wagenson also talked about the postgame meetings with Robinson after state tournament games.

“Officials would wait for each other after games and the first thing they said was, ‘What did Jimmy say?’ We wanted the best for each other, and Jimmy was the guy who came in with the notebook and sat down. He wanted to know your opinion first, then he gave his opinion and it was a learning experience. It might not have been the most comfortable situation every time but you always learned and got better from it.”

Steve Makowske of Brooklyn Center, who worked closely with Robinson for the last several years and succeeds him as the state basketball officiating coordinator, recalled meeting Jimmy more than three decades ago when Makowske was a new official.

“He was sitting at a game and he came in afterwards, wanted to know who I was, what association I was with, and I gave him all that information. One of the veteran guys said, ‘That’s Jim Robinson, he’s the state coordinator.’

“Probably 10 or 12 years ago he said to me, ‘You and I are pretty much on the same page and I’ll need to be replaced at some point.’ ”

Makowske and Robinson began watching games together and Robinson attended an officiating clinic that Makowske set up. “He said the clinic was very impressive and he took me under his wing. He told (now-retired MSHSL associate director) Kevin Merkle that he wanted me to replace him. Kevin said to me, ‘Jimmy has talked to me and I concur. We’d like you to be the next state coordinator.’ So over last eight or nine years I’ve been doing pretty much everything with Jim.”

MSHSL associate director Lisa Lissimore, like Robinson a native of St. Paul, knew him well for decades. Lissimore is the director in charge of girls basketball and the girls state tournament.

“Jim’s legacy of service and leadership will be greatly missed by the Minnesota State High School League and the basketball officiating community,” she said.  “Jim has mentored, trained, and evaluated officials from every corner of the state. He leaves behind a trail of excellence that invites us all to follow.”

Jason Nickleby, the MSHSL coordinator of officials, began officiating when he was in high school and now works as a Big Ten football official. He knew Robinson from a young age and said his legacy will be carried forward.

“In the last two or three years I think he reached a sense of peace and calm about where the officiating program is from a basketball perspective,” Nickleby said. “I think he had shared his wisdom and philosophy with people that could carry it forward and he knew it was in a good place. Steve’s charge and my charge and our regional coordinators’ charge is to carry that vision forward.”

--A patch honoring Robinson is being developed for basketball officials to wear during games.

--To honor Jim Robinson, the MSHSL is collecting notes of thanks to him, which will be forwarded to his family. Anyone wishing to contribute can send an email to officials@mshsl.org

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

Jim Robinson (sitting, second from left) was inducted into the MSHSL Hall of Fame in 1993. Also inducted that year were Kermit Anderson, Willetta “Pinkie” Brown, Martin Carter, Edwin Cooper, Paul Krueger, Alan Raitor, Dick Seltz, Velma Teichroew and Ruth Westrom.

John’s Journal: How It Started, How It Ended

 

WASECA – Aug. 24 was a sunny, hot and humid day in southern Minnesota. The girls tennis teams from St. Peter and Waseca opened a shortened, strange season with a dual match on the courts at Waseca High School.

After visiting that match, I wrote, “No fans were allowed inside the fence that surrounds the eight tennis courts. There are several small sets of bleachers in the middle of the courts, but they were turned upside down. Fans sat on lawn chairs and watched the girls play while looking through the fence, the view made difficult by dark wind slats in the fence.”

At that point, the football and volleyball seasons were going to be played in the spring of 2021. That decision was later reversed by the MSHSL board of directors, making the 2020 volleyball and football seasons a reality … a shortened, strange reality.

The fall seasons ended abruptly on Nov. 20 under orders from Governor Tim Walz that also shut down winter sports until at least Dec. 18. So I returned to Waseca for the final day of the fall season and final event on the Bluejays calendar, a football game with Plainview-Elgin-Millville to determine the champion of Section 1 in Class 3A.

The conditions were quite different from that bright, warm day in August. The sun sets early in November and frigid air rolling across the prairie presented this sight on the P-E-M sideline: football players draped in long, black sideline coats, which covered everything but bare-skinned calves. The crowd was small due to season-long Covid-19 limitations; Waseca had more cheerleaders than students in the student section. When a recording of the school song was played after touchdowns, the gloved hands of the Bluejays fans clapped along. The voice of referee Royce Ruter could be heard announcing penalties even though he wasn’t wearing a microphone. The grass was brown.

On Waseca’s first play from scrimmage, senior quarterback Ryan Dufault ran through the line and broke into the open as KFOW radio play-by-play guy Don White hollered, “There goes Doofy!” And Doofy went 85 yards for a touchdown that got the Bluejays going in a 23-8 win.

The broadcast went to a commercial for a local bank after the extra point, but the radio guys – White and Dale Kugath – unknowingly conversed on hot mics: “You think Doofy will run for 100 yards?” “It could happen on the next play!”

It was that kind of Friday night for Waseca. A triumphant victory in the last game of the season, a quiet celebration afterwards. And then, before heading home, they all needed to turn in their equipment because no one knew when they would be able to gather again. On Monday the high school went to distance learning for everyone. No one knows if the football team will be able to hold a traditional end-of-season banquet.

In his postgame address to the team, Bluejays coach Brad Wendland first spoke to the seniors and their lives after high school. “Fulfill your dreams,” he said. “As far as us coaches, our dream is you. You're our dream and we're living that, coaching you guys. And we fulfill that every day. Now use high school football to go live out your dream and what you want to do.”

Among the seniors who played their final football game were Dufault and Kyreese Willingham. Both will play college basketball and both hope against hope that there will be some semblance of a normal high school season in that sport. Last winter, the Bluejays won their section title and were headed to state a week later before that tournament was canceled.

Asked about the winter sports shutdown, which will last until at least Dec. 18, Willingham -- who will play basketball at Minnesota State Mankato – said, “I’m mad. I don't even know what to say about that. I just hope we get a season, especially after last year.”

Waseca was the Class 3A boys basketball state runner-up in 2019, losing to DeLaSalle in the title game at Target Center to end a 30-2 season. Their record was 25-5 last season when everything stopped.

“It stinks but at least we still get something,” said Dufault, who will be part of the first NCAA Division I men’s basketball team at the University of St. Thomas. “We're lucky to even get something, with this pandemic going around. I'm just hoping that we get to play some games and play together one last time. And hopefully, if it's possible, to play in a state tournament.”

Willingham (No. 4, pictured with Dufault) said of his final football game, “It’s been a blessing to be able to get out here and play one last time, in our senior year. And this is a pretty sad moment for us because we could have gone to state after this, but it's always good just to know that you got to finish the season on a good note.”

After the game ended, the players from Plainview-Elgin-Millville and Waseca went through a semi-traditional handshake line, but instead of shaking hands they clanked the helmets that they held in their hands. The Bluejays walked back to their sideline and sang the school song with the fans, then all took a knee in front of Wendland.

The coach held the section championship trophy over his head before asking the four captains – Dufault, Willingham, Marcus Hansen and Marco Cruz -- to come to the front of the group and hold the hardware.

“Seniors, stay in touch,” the coach told them. “You're so important to us, we value you so much. If we can help you, if we can write a letter of recommendation, if you need anything from us; you better ask, we’ll be mad if you don't.

“I remember when you were playing third-grade football. I remember going home and telling my wife, ‘We're gonna be good.’ We're going to miss you and we love you and thanks for everything you did for the program. You leave this place better than you found it. You won the section three years in a row, and you gave up eight points in the section finals. I couldn't be prouder. I just wish we were practicing for whatever the next thing is.”

I just wish. Those words seemed very apropos because everyone knew that they had reached a point in time, a point with a clear delineation between what they knew (football) and what they really didn’t (all-virtual learning and no after-school activities). For weeks, half the students had been in school each day while the other half did their work from home.

“Oh, it’s terrible,” Willingham said. “You don’t get to see half your friends at school. Not all your classmates are in class and it's our senior year so you want to see all your friends and enjoy the senior year, but we can't this year. We’re still trying to make the best of it.”

The Waseca football team was hit hard by Covid-19 all season long. They played seven games, four of them involving changes in opponent and/or dates. The Bluejays had players miss every game due to the virus, including four starters Friday against Plainview-Elgin-Millville.

“It’s been so full of anxiety,” Wendland said. “The uncertainty is challenging daily. Every time an administrator walks by my room, every time my phone goes off, I worry. But then you get a couple games in, and it kind of feels a little bit normal. And then as soon as you get the least bit complacent, Covid just brings it right back. The minute you feel like, ‘All right, let's game plan, our guys are ready to go.’ That's when it strikes.”

With the season over, Wendland is concerned about what the month-long shutdown will do to the mental health of the kids. 

"I worry about them. I do. I was worried that this (football) was not going to be here for them. And I worry about kids in the winter. Having extracurricular activities is such an important part of their daily lives, and their interaction with positive adults and interaction with their friends.

 “And with that taken away, I worry about the young men, for sure, and their well-being and their future, asking ‘why me?’ and maybe turning to alternatives. It's frightening. It’s terrifying.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

John’s Journal: Two Nights In Kasson

 

At 5 o’clock Monday afternoon, volleyball official Tristan Severson pushed the button on his electronic whistle and signaled for play to commence. Kasson-Mantorville junior Madelyn Converse, leaping at the serve line, swatted the ball over the net and into the temporary care of the visiting Minneota Vikings.

At 9:29 Tuesday night, four members of the Kasson-Mantorville football team, who were the last to linger on the stadium turf after the final game of the season, walked off the west end zone and into the darkness, heading toward the school. One minute later, the stadium lights went dark.

From that first slap of a volleyball through the moment those boys left the football field, it was a remarkable stretch of time in this autumn of Covid discontent. On Monday word had come out that Governor Tim Walz was preparing to announce new virus-mitigation measures, possibly including shutting down MSHSL sports. By Tuesday afternoon he had made it clear, without specifics, that the news to come on Wednesday would be difficult. “It's going to be a very difficult four weeks,” he said.

Minneota volleyball coach Hayley Fruin (pictured) knows about Covid, having tested positive in August; she called it a “short-lived” illness. In early October she gave birth to her second child and everything went well.

Monday’s volleyball match between the Minneota Vikings and Kasson-Mantorville KoMets was scheduled only two days earlier while both teams – like so many – continually shuffle their plans as opponents drop away due to the virus.

“To be honest, I haven’t scouted a team all year,” said K-M volleyball coach Adam VanOort. “I had no idea who their players were, I didn't know what kind of offense they ran and it didn't matter. We were going to come out and play hard volleyball, that was the goal.”

It’s a drive of more than three hours from Minneota to Kasson; the Vikings carpooled with parents behind the wheel. The KoMets’ football opponent on Tuesday could have arrived via bicycle because Byron High School is only 5.8 miles away.

For the Vikings, the drive to Kasson is longer than their almost annual trip to Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the state tournament. But with no state tournaments for fall sports, no high school teams are going to the X for volleyball or U.S. Bank Stadium for football.

That knowledge, coupled with anticipation of the governor’s news, made everything unsettled. But as Minneota volleyball player McKenzie Tolk told me after the unbeaten Vikings defeated the KoMets 3-1, "You just don't know what's going to happen. You don't know if you're going to be going back to school or playing sports. You’ve just got to play like it's the state championship every game."

Tuesday’s football game carried a championship flavor because everyone knew this was going to be the end of the road for both teams. Two football teams in Class 4A Section 1 had already been shut down by Covid and two others were already booked to be shut down in the days ahead. Only Kasson-Mantorville and Byron were still standing so the contest was for the section title.

The Byron Bears were finishing a Covid-free season. They played every one of their scheduled opponents and had no players or coaches test positive. That was not the case for the KoMets, who played five football games in a planned six-game regular season.

“On the first day of practice we had a kid test positive for Covid,” said coach Joel Swanson. “The whole varsity team, everybody but our ninth grade, was in quarantine. And then game three, on one of our buses, 11 more guys had to quarantine again because somebody tested positive. Until tonight we've been playing with 25 guys.”

Swanson was talking after the KoMets came away with a 7-0 victory on a frigid night. K-M quarterback Matthew Donovan scored on a 1-yard run in the third quarter, and the rest of the night consisted mainly of defensive stands and the pounding ground game of Byron senior Austin Freerksen, who ran for 174 yards and may finish as the state’s leading rusher with 1,596 yards.

The finish was wild. Byron had the ball at the 50-yard line with 28 seconds remaining and the Bears needed something miraculous. A completed pass moved them to the 32 with 18 seconds left. As the teams lined up, a Kasson-Mantorville coach yelled, “Trips over there! Trips over there!” … making sure the defensive backs knew that Byron had three receivers set wide.

A long, high pass was launched from the strong arm of Bears quarterback Drew Scheuer and it landed in the arms of the KoMets’ Jace Bigelow inside the 10-yard line. K-M got into victory formation for the final snap of the 2020 season, followed by a celebration worthy of a Prep Bowl.

“It's the equivalent (of a state title) for us,” said Donovan.

With the section championship trophy in hand, the KoMets hooped and hollered and hugged and smiled and posed for photos.

On the far end of the field, meanwhile, the Byron Bears were in a tight, quiet huddle around coach Ben Halder. Senior classmates Wyatt Nemeche and Vincente De Leon each wrapped an arm around the other’s back. The huddle broke up as it has all season: “Bears on 3! 1-2-3 Bears!”

As I chatted with Halder, his words perfectly encapsulated what this year – from the sudden halt of winter tournaments in March through current-day concerns about the next shoe to drop -- has been like. When I mentioned the oddity of the first postseason game being for a section title, he said, “It's odd, but 2020 has been nothing but odd. And we're grateful. We've talked about being grateful all year with our kids. And to be happy for what you have and not what you don't have. And our kids have been fantastic with that. We've followed all the protocols and stuff and you can see that; that's why we got to play all of our games. We played every scheduled game, no quarantine, no nothing.

“And that's a credit to our team and our program and our administration and all those people that put forth the effort to make sure that our kids get an opportunity. Because it's about these kids just having an opportunity. The smiles on their faces, the fun they have in practice; I told the kids that it makes my life feel normal out here.

“It's bigger than just sports and football. We're trying to teach our kids that all the time. Athletics don't define you; it's what you do outside athletics that help define you. The winning and losing doesn't define who we are as people. It's how we react and how we take these things and learn from them. I'm proud of our kids and the program. … We're going to ride a bus home together as a team one more time and we got closure as a team. I think that's more important this year than at any time.”

Soon after, two Byron school buses pulled up to the stadium gate, one of them pulling a trailer. In twos and threes and sometimes one at a time, the Bears players yanked off their jerseys and shoulder pads, stacking them in the trailer for the final ride home. The boys were quiet, but smiles were visible inside the buses.

The anticipated news came a day later, shortly after 6 p.m. Wednesday, with the governor addressing the state in a televised address. Emergency Order 20-99, Implementing a Four Week Dial Back on Certain Activities to Slow the Spread of COVID-19, is a lengthy document that includes this: From 11:59 Nov. 20 through 11:59 p.m. Dec. 18, all indoor and outdoor MSHSL sports are halted "including practices, group workouts, games, and tournaments."

Walz mentioned students and athletes when he said, “Much has been asked of you. And we need to ask a little more. … We’re at a dangerous point with this pandemic. … “It’s not easy and it’s not fair, but it’s a sacrifice we have to make.” … “If we don’t get this right, it drags on.”

After the football game in Kasson, Swanson and I had talked for a few minutes about what this season has been like. He said, “I'm just glad the kids all had the opportunity to experience it. Hopefully they're able to compete in other things, but there's a lot of other important things in life and we’ve got to keep our priorities straight.”

Mask up, Minnesota.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

 

John’s Journal: From Volleyball Star To Volleyball Coach

 

Ten years can be a long time, but Ashley Wittman Bushman’s memories of her high school volleyball days remain fresh and clear. The 2010 graduate of Shakopee High School, now an assistant volleyball coach at Benilde-St. Margaret’s, is one of the most decorated athletes in Minnesota history, leading her team to state championships in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and being honored as the Gatorade national player of the year in 2009.

Asked about those days, the memories of time with her teammates stand out much more than personal glory. 

“When I think back to high school volleyball, I remember the state tournaments. We stayed in a hotel, we got to hang out with each other, the whole experience of playing in the state tournament multiple years in a row,” she said. “I loved playing with all of my teams. … I just remember so much of what I got to experience with my friends. We were all very close, hanging out all the time.”

Wittman Bushman went on to an All-Big Ten and All-American career at the University of Minnesota, where she graduated with a degree in sports management. She was a two-year Gophers team captain and played in four NCAA tournaments. She played professionally in Puerto Rico before returning to Minnesota.

“The wealth of knowledge that she has, and her experience, there’s no comparing that to anything,” said Benilde-St. Margaret’s head coach Michael Becker, who  was hired as an assistant by then-head coach Phong Luong a year before Wittman Bushman came on board seven years ago.

“Phong made some new hires,” he recalled, “and I said, ‘How did you get Ashley Wittman?!’ ”

Wittman Bushman and her husband Luke live in New Hope with their two young children. Ashley works part-time for JIT Energy Services and remains busy with her kids and coaching.

“I love it, I absolutely love coaching,” she said. “I enjoy getting out of the house, I enjoy having the connection with the girls. I’m very detail-oriented with volleyball, teaching all the skills that go along with it. I love that.”

Wittman Bushman was a four-year starter in the Shakopee lineup, growing from 5-foot-9 as a ninth-grader to 6-2 as a senior. Matt Busch, the Shakopee coach then and now, said Wittman’s passion for the game stands out for him.

“I think of nothing but sheer determination,” he said. “She lived volleyball all that time, but more importantly she worked like crazy. She was doing extra fitness training stuff for three years before she even left high school. The amount of vertical work and strength work she did was ridiculous.”

Wittman capped her high school career with an amazing 34 kills as the Sabers defeated Wayzata 3-1 in the 2009 Class 3A state championship match to cap a 32-0 season. The set loss to Wayzata was the only set Shakopee dropped all season.

“She was a six-rotation player and a darn good one right away that very first year (as a freshman),” Busch said. “From her sophomore year to senior year, the amount of strength she put on was ridiculous.”

The current players at Benilde-St. Margaret’s are aware that Wittman Bushman was a high school and college star.

“We've gone to the U and looked at her posters on the wall and stuff,” said senior Alexis Brixius. “We know she's super accomplished and we all look up to her a ton because there's not many people who have accomplished as much as her. It's super cool to get to be able to see that and be with someone who's done so much.”

Senior Josie King added, “When we’ve had scrimmages at Shakopee we always saw her name on the state championship (display). Having her as a role model and a coach to look up to, she's been a great influence on all of us. We couldn't be happier with having her around.”

That happiness goes both ways.

“Over the years it gets less and less, but they all are very aware of what kind of player I was in high school and college,” Wittman Bushman said. “I can give them advice if they’re struggling or if they’re looking to play in college. I have all these experiences and I can help with different situations.”

Becker said Wittman Bushman is the closest thing to a head coach that an assistant can be.

“Assistant coach is really an inappropriate title,” he said. “This season, with all the (Covid-19) changes, we talked before the first practice and I said, ‘Normally I’d love to sit down and talk about roles.’ But we didn’t have time to do that. The wealth of knowledge that she has, and her experience, there’s no comparing that to anything. We’re probably 50-50 if not 75 percent Ashley and 25 percent Becker in terms of coaching the girls during games and practices.

“I’ve told her that’s so good for these girls, somebody who has played at every level, has won three state championships, an undefeated season, 35 kills or whatever in a state championship match. Her responsibility is equal if not more than mine. She sees the game at a different pace than most coaches do. She does a really good job of being honest with the girls, telling them how things are going, what needs to change. If girls are struggling, she’ll give them some practical advice on how to get out of it.”

Wittman Bushman, whose children are 2 ½ years and six months old, said she may be interested in becoming a head coach at some point in the future.

“As of now I’m definitely happy to be an assistant and do just volleyball, not the administrative stuff,” she said. “With two little kids, I have plenty of time to be a head coach in the future.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org

John’s Journal: Becker’s Miracle Man

You talk to Brayden Weber and his mother about what the Becker High School senior has experienced – beginning with the day he died in late February – and you hear the same words: A Blessing.  

“It’s a blessing to even have a season,” Brayden told me over the phone after football practice one day last week. He’s back on the field with the Becker Bulldogs, which is quite a long way from the day he collapsed in a semifinal match at the state wrestling tournament in St. Paul.

As he told me in March, “They don’t know if my heart actually stopped; they just couldn’t find a pulse. They said with an irregular rhythm it could just be hard to detect a pulse. But they said I wasn't breathing on my own for five minutes, which is like a good indication that I was dead.”

The medical team at the tournament performed CPR on Brayden and had an automated external defibrillator ready just in case. During a long string of medical tests, he was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia, a heart rhythm disorder caused by abnormal electrical signals. A surgical procedure in June corrected the problem and a small cardiac monitor was implanted near his heart.

The best news came in early July when he was cleared to play football.

“He’s in his glory out there,” said Brayden’s mom, Sara Waytashek.

Brayden called it “just a big relief. It was so good to hear you can go back and do something you love. I waited four or five months to get that news and I had a gut feeling it was going to be OK.”

He will play college football somewhere. Dwight Lundeen, who has seen a few things in his 51 years as the only head football coach Becker has ever had, said, “He’s a great leader, a real good football player. He’s played great.”

Brayden, a team captain, is 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds. He plays outside linebacker on defense and right tackle on offense, rarely leaving the field. Since practice began, his coaches have been keeping an eye on him. An AED is on hand at every practice and every game, just in case.

“I don’t think you can ever put that out of your mind,” Lundeen said of Weber’s heart. “Our eyes are on him constantly. Every time he looks a little different, a little fatigued, a little paler -- and it could be just from running hard -- but we have not had one situation where we needed to pull him out because of that.”

Brayden said he is still working to keep his heart out of his mind.

“Not every time it starts beating fast, but sometimes it’s like, ‘Wooh, that’s a little fast,’ ” he said. “I’ve got to stop being gun-shy about it. The first couple weeks of football were definitively tough for me. I’ve been getting better at it.”

Waytashek has an especially close view of the Bulldogs’ games because she is a team photographer. She can look through her lens and get a close-up view of her son.

“Several times I’ve found myself watching his facial expressions just to make sure he’s OK,” she said.

Lundeen was in Arizona when Weber collapsed at the wrestling tournament. One of the assistant football coaches, Hokan Bengston, called him with the news.

“He said we had a real serious deal with Brayden. I told him we’ll be praying for him and let me know any news you get.”

As with many teams in all fall sports, things have been topsy-turvy for the Bulldogs, who will take a 2-2 record into Thursday’s final regular-game against Willmar. Two of their games were cancelled the day before kickoff due to Covid-19 issues with their opponents, and Lundeen said every week individual players have had to quarantine.

“Every day is different,” he said. “It’s an ever-changing picture. It’s very unique. In my 50 years, nothing has come close to this ... We talk every week that this might be it. We’re going to play the best we can, enjoy it win or lose, and we’re going to have fun playing this great game.”

Brayden said, “We have to go with whatever is given to us and make the best out of it. You never know with everything going on right now. It’s a blessing to have a season.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn and listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

 

John’s Journal: The Most Important Play Of The Year

 

Brody Larson, who stands 4 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 86 pounds, is the biggest name in Minnesota high school football this season after scoring the most important touchdown of the year.

The 18-year-old senior at LeRoy-Ostrander, who is as big of a sports fan as you will ever meet, put on real football gear for the first time last week. For Friday’s Senior Night home game against Houston, Brody pulled on his father’s well-worn No. 28 jersey from the 2003 LeRoy-Ostrander squad, was announced as a member of the Nine-Man team’s starting lineup and made lifelong memories with his teammates.

This was a dream come true, as well as a testament to friendship, sportsmanship and inclusion. It was the absolute best of high school activities.

Brody is small and had never been able to participate in sports because of Hurler Syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, Hurler syndrome can consist of skeletal deformities, coarse facial features, corneal clouding, hepatosplenomegaly, cardiac involvement, hearing loss and respiratory tract infections.

Brody is a survivor, an inspiration. And we need him, his teammates and their spirit and togetherness right now.

“In today’s world of negativity and all these things going on, I tell our boys all the time, ‘You’ve got to understand what we truly have. Brody got the short end of the straw,’ ” said LeRoy-Ostrander coach Trevor Carrier. “ ‘You’ve got to appreciate what you have and Brody epitomizes that.’ Everyone loves him. He makes you smile.”

In the days leading up to the game, the teams agreed to start the contest in a different way. The LeRoy-Ostrander Cardinals received the kickoff and returned it to the Houston Hurricanes’ 10-yard line before going out of bounds. From there, Brody took a handoff from quarterback Chase Johnson and ran untouched into the end zone; he also ran for the two-point conversion.

The Hurricanes then were given free rein to return the kickoff for a touchdown and two-point conversion. So the score was 8-8 when the competition began in earnest. The final score was Cardinals 62, Hurricanes 48, but that’s not what will be remembered years from now.

“It was pretty magical,” Carrier said.

“It was a tear-jerker, it was a bit emotional,” said Brody’s mom, Crystal Stern.

 Brody had tears in his eyes as he took the field after the kickoff.

“I was running out there thinking, ‘I can’t believe this is happening right now,’ ” he said. “I was in the huddle, then standing back there (behind Chase), saying to myself, ‘I’m about to get the ball and score a touchdown with my team.’ ”

He scooted through the right side of the line, crossed the goal line, spiked the football between his legs and high-stepped. His teammates rushed to congratulate him and the Houston defenders applauded as fans cheered and those watching from their vehicles honked their horns. It was a spectacular scene, repeated on the two-point conversion.

Along with introducing LeRoy-Ostrander seniors Andrew Lohuis, George Bird, Isaac Collier, Brodi Nesler, Lucas Winfield, Jeremiah Weiss, Brody and their parents, the Senior Night pregame ceremony also acknowledged Houston’s seniors.

“That’s the least we could do for them,” Carrier said.

The plan moved forward after Brody filled the requirements for participation in MSHSL activities, including passing a required physical exam. Carrier, a 2003 Houston graduate, called Hurricanes coach Cody Hungerholt earlier in the week to describe what he had in mind and work out the details.

“It was awesome. Houston did a wonderful job,” Carrier said. “They jumped on board quickly and they thought it was a great thing. It was great sportsmanship and they didn’t have to do that. It was impressive.”

Kyle Stern, Brody’s dad and the Cardinals defensive coordinator, said, “Trevor pulled me in on Monday to tell me about it. I couldn’t say much at that moment. I was crying.”

Brody underwent a bone-marrow transplant at 14 months old. When he was 10, the Make-A-Wish Foundation sent Brody, his parents and three younger siblings to Disney World. Brody worked at the local grocery store, Main Street Market, but has stepped away during Covid-19 because he is at risk.

On Monday of game week, Brody was sitting in class when his teacher’s phone rang. The message: Have Brody come to Carrier’s fifth-grade classroom.

“He said, ‘Let’s go out in the hallway,’ ” Brody remembered. “He said to me, ‘You know what’s happening Friday, don’t you?’ ‘Yeah, it’s Senior Night, it’s a big night.’

“He said, ‘Since it’s Senior Night and you’re a senior, we want to do something special for you. We want to suit you up and have a wonderful memory for you.’ ”

On Wednesday they got Brody geared up. Shoulder pads, helmet, mouthguard, the works. Asked about a jersey, he knew that his dad still had his old jersey. Kyle was a student manager as a kid – just like Brody -- when the Cardinals reached the Metrodome and he played in the state semifinals at the Metrodome as a junior.

“He’s been on the sideline ever since he could be,” Kyle said of Brody. 

Crystal said waiting for game day may have been the hardest thing for her son.

“He was pretty excited and he couldn’t really wrap his head around anything else other than the fact that he needed to stay focused for Friday,” she said with a big smile. “The anticipation was killing him.”

After the game, Brody and his teammates followed tradition by going to Travel Lanes Bar & Grill, the local bowling alley, for pizza, then to Andrew Lohuis’ home for video games and other sorts of fun and camaraderie. Brody got home around 12:30 a.m. He was tired and sore but still walking on air.

Before kickoff, the Cardinals had shared one message with their newest teammate. Brody will never forget what his friends and classmates said.

“The boys were all saying, ‘We’re doing this for Brody, this is his night, let’s win this game for him.’ ”

The postgame statistics tell the story. The rushing portion of the recap included this: “Brody Larson 2-for-12, TD.”

That sentence right there -- Brody Larson 2-for-12, TD – well, that’s forever.

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn, listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org 

John’s Journal: There’s Magic In Monticello

 

MONTICELLO -- The prototypical quarterback fits a certain mold. He’s tall and rangy, he can easily see over his linemen and he can throw frozen ropes downfield. Calvin Schmitz is not the prototype.

The Monticello High School senior is the Magic’s emergency quarterback this season. Anthony Staryszak, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound junior, broke his throwing hand when it smacked against a helmet on his very first pass of the season. Anthony finished that Week 1 game, a 34-14 win over Sauk Rapids-Rice, and somehow completed 13 of 19 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns.

When Staryszak’s injury was diagnosed the next day and his hand was put in a cast, he was lost for the season. There was no clear-cut next man up, said coach Jason Telecky. Junior wide receiver Wyatt Sawatzke took a turn before the decision was made to give Schmitz the job, and the responsibility.

Calvin is listed on the roster as 5-foot-5 and 185 pounds. After Monticello defeated Owatonna 7-6 on Friday, he just laughed when those figures were mentioned and said, “I'm 5-3, 200 pounds and I never played quarterback before this year.” 

He’s an athlete, there’s no doubt. He’s a catcher on the baseball team and will play that sport at Northern State University, an NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

“It's Calvin’s senior year, and he just has the drive, the will, the determination,” said Telecky.

The unranked Magic have a 3-1 record and Friday’s win over Owatonna was huge. The Huskies came in with a 3-0 record as the second-ranked team in Class 5A. The outcome wasn’t decided until the final play of the game, when a low snap foiled an Owatonna field-goal attempt.

Calvin completed five of 10 passes for 24 yards, ran 16 times for 17 yards, was all over the field at linebacker, and returned punts and kickoffs. He intercepted a pass late in the third quarter to stop a Huskies drive; after getting on his feet, he held the ball in his left arm and flexed his right arm on the Monticello sideline.

Schmitz had played a little quarterback in summer passing leagues, “And I actually did a decent job, so from there on out we just decided I was the backup. But never did we think it would actually be me at quarterback.”

“He might be the shortest quarterback in in the state of Minnesota right now,” said Telecky, smiling. “We don't have tremendous depth, that's always our concern, and losing Wyatt was hard, really hard on these guys. We're knew we going to be OK but you’ve got to convince them of that, and then Cal stepped in and played really well.”

Senior running back Sam Valor (pictured here, left, with Schmitz), who carried 17 times for 93 yards and a 15-yard touchdown against Owatonna – giving him 471 rushing yards in four games – said

“Definitely in our playing careers this is the biggest game, biggest upset that we've had.”

The Magic are scheduled to play at Elk River on Thursday and finish the six-game regular season at home against St. Francis on Nov. 11.

“We had a great week of practice this week and we reminded these guys, ‘You're good football players, we're going to get tired, we're going to be sore but we can do this,’ ” Telecky said. “I just think for them to have that belief in themselves, that's all you can ask as a coach.”

--MSHSL media specialist John Millea has been the leading voice of Minnesota high school activities for decades. Follow him on Twitter @MSHSLjohn, listen to "Preps Today with John Millea” wherever you get podcasts. Contact John at jmillea@mshsl.org